Christ_empowered
Member
How do you do it? When do you have doubts?
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How are famous preachers sometimes effected by sin?
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dealing with doubts
- Thread starter Christ_empowered
- Start date
Sorta a copout reply CE but it is how i think...
God sent His son, they called Him, Jesus;
He came to love, heal and forgive;
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives!
Chorus
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!
How sweet to hold a newborn baby,
And feel the pride and joy he gives;
But greater still the calm assurance:
This child can face uncertain days because He Lives!
Chorus
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!
And then one day, I'll cross the river,
I'll fight life's final war with pain;
And then, as death gives way to vict'ry,
I'll see the lights of glory and I'll know He lives!
Chorus
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!
God sent His son, they called Him, Jesus;
He came to love, heal and forgive;
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives!
Chorus
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!
How sweet to hold a newborn baby,
And feel the pride and joy he gives;
But greater still the calm assurance:
This child can face uncertain days because He Lives!
Chorus
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!
And then one day, I'll cross the river,
I'll fight life's final war with pain;
And then, as death gives way to vict'ry,
I'll see the lights of glory and I'll know He lives!
Chorus
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!
Pray
Thomas in the Bible also had doubts.Satan loves it when a person has doubts.
Christ_empowered
Member
just...everything. Its so stupid. Before I became a Christ--got saved--I was a hot mess. Now, I'm healthy and smarter and increasingly--gasp--normal. Normal facial features, normal height, normal, normal, normal.
This one's probably on me, through prayer and what not. Its like, when I was at Teen Challenge, they said that a lot of people abandon God after He's cleaned them up and done things for them. I can't do that. Its not just obligation because of what Jesus has done for me, which is incredible enough, its...
...I have an increasingly Christian Worldview (I'd like to thank this forum and Liberty University) and I'm seeing the truth of Scripture in my life. For instance, I see now how forgiving your enemies and everybody else reaps a good harvest. How sexual morality is the way to go (in my case, celibacy). How prayers can be answered, even if its not on your time table.
And yet...
Doubts. I think its because I was a semi-vegetable for so long. TC told me to believe, and I believed, to the extent that I was able. My Calvniist counselor had me read certain books and I believed those, too, wholeheartedly. And now...
...not a vegetable. I used to pray for my spirit "to return to me," until now...when I realized that somewhere in Psalms and probably elsewhere, it speaks of how God can *heal* a *broken* spirit. See what I'm saying? The shrinks broke me, alright, but God has already done a work in my life and there's no reason to believe He'll stop.
That's neither here nor there...
Sometimes, I look at the world, and I wonder: what gvies? And not just the present, either. Christians living in poverty, the constant oppression of the poor, the wars and rumors of wars. I look at the church and I see cool mega-churches that say the right thing, usually, but...don't seem to disciple and don't seem to mentor and...ugggghhh!
Then I think of the super conservative Christians, like some at TC. Listening to hyper-conservative, angry, anti-intellectual talk radio...because, apparently, that's what Christians do. Who knew? Also, I look at my own situation. Every single time something good happens, there's a backlash. I know, it happens, but...man, oh, man. I keep hearing people in the neighborhood saying "God didn't heal you!" and "God doesn't heal faggots!" and that's rough. Sometimes, I even wonder: am I just a freak of nature or something? Is there a rational explanation for my transformation?
Of course...there's not. And there's a lot more people in the world than just me. I'm definitely not first lowest of the low to be saved and set free, nor will I be the last (Praise God!). Its just...
...wow. So many people think/say they're Christian. Like my parents, one of whom is a former PCUSA elder. The other one dips into the local mega church now and then, doesn't read The Word, etc. And that's just my parents, you know?
This one's probably on me, through prayer and what not. Its like, when I was at Teen Challenge, they said that a lot of people abandon God after He's cleaned them up and done things for them. I can't do that. Its not just obligation because of what Jesus has done for me, which is incredible enough, its...
...I have an increasingly Christian Worldview (I'd like to thank this forum and Liberty University) and I'm seeing the truth of Scripture in my life. For instance, I see now how forgiving your enemies and everybody else reaps a good harvest. How sexual morality is the way to go (in my case, celibacy). How prayers can be answered, even if its not on your time table.
And yet...
Doubts. I think its because I was a semi-vegetable for so long. TC told me to believe, and I believed, to the extent that I was able. My Calvniist counselor had me read certain books and I believed those, too, wholeheartedly. And now...
...not a vegetable. I used to pray for my spirit "to return to me," until now...when I realized that somewhere in Psalms and probably elsewhere, it speaks of how God can *heal* a *broken* spirit. See what I'm saying? The shrinks broke me, alright, but God has already done a work in my life and there's no reason to believe He'll stop.
That's neither here nor there...
Sometimes, I look at the world, and I wonder: what gvies? And not just the present, either. Christians living in poverty, the constant oppression of the poor, the wars and rumors of wars. I look at the church and I see cool mega-churches that say the right thing, usually, but...don't seem to disciple and don't seem to mentor and...ugggghhh!
Then I think of the super conservative Christians, like some at TC. Listening to hyper-conservative, angry, anti-intellectual talk radio...because, apparently, that's what Christians do. Who knew? Also, I look at my own situation. Every single time something good happens, there's a backlash. I know, it happens, but...man, oh, man. I keep hearing people in the neighborhood saying "God didn't heal you!" and "God doesn't heal faggots!" and that's rough. Sometimes, I even wonder: am I just a freak of nature or something? Is there a rational explanation for my transformation?
Of course...there's not. And there's a lot more people in the world than just me. I'm definitely not first lowest of the low to be saved and set free, nor will I be the last (Praise God!). Its just...
...wow. So many people think/say they're Christian. Like my parents, one of whom is a former PCUSA elder. The other one dips into the local mega church now and then, doesn't read The Word, etc. And that's just my parents, you know?
Nintentacle
Member
I'm not exactly sure what you're having doubts about, still.
Nintentacle
Member
If that's the case, I'd look at John 3:14-21 and John 14:15.
John 3:14-21 - And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
John 14:15 - If ye love me, keep my commandments.
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Christ_empowered
Member
yeah, its like...
OK. You have Catholics--over 1 billion strong!--who have their rules. They say the Protestants are wrong. Protestants say the Catholics are wrong, but then our churches, and sometimes whole denominational groups, split and sue each other.
You have: conservative Christians, liberal/progressive Christians, Christians who take The Bible literally, Christians who pick and choose, so on and so forth.
Ugh! Its also...so much hypocrisy! Like, when I was at Teen Challenge...some of the staff would apparently go out to strip clubs. With fund raiser money. Some of the people there did drugs, and if their parents were big "donors," they'd let it slide. If the staff didn't like somebody, they'd come down extra hard on them.
Pentecostals (my favorite group) seem cool, but they have a bad rep amongst mainline denominations. What gives?
Also...with the wheat and the tares, what church is really, actually safe, especially in these Last Days when it seems that entire denominations have lost their way? Ugh!
OK. You have Catholics--over 1 billion strong!--who have their rules. They say the Protestants are wrong. Protestants say the Catholics are wrong, but then our churches, and sometimes whole denominational groups, split and sue each other.
You have: conservative Christians, liberal/progressive Christians, Christians who take The Bible literally, Christians who pick and choose, so on and so forth.
Ugh! Its also...so much hypocrisy! Like, when I was at Teen Challenge...some of the staff would apparently go out to strip clubs. With fund raiser money. Some of the people there did drugs, and if their parents were big "donors," they'd let it slide. If the staff didn't like somebody, they'd come down extra hard on them.
Pentecostals (my favorite group) seem cool, but they have a bad rep amongst mainline denominations. What gives?
Also...with the wheat and the tares, what church is really, actually safe, especially in these Last Days when it seems that entire denominations have lost their way? Ugh!
Read the Bible for yourself and see what you come up with.Don't go by what others believe.Get into a good study of the true literal word of God.
They don't sound like doubts, more like disappointments.
Blake
Member
If you put Christ and your intimacy with Him first and foremost and His commandment to love, you will experience God high everywhere you go. A monastery or a pentecostal revival, in church or in your car heading to church. Don't let church division cause personal division. For so many years I considered the many divisions to be, well, divisive, but I recently came to understand it is God's mercy and grace at work, letting us come to Him as He is, based upon our own personal and family traditions. Imagine in today's society it was only still Catholicism or Orthodoxy -- how many would come to God? God doesn't change but His people do... according to unique personalities and salvific needs He has made it possible for people to reach Him. When the veil was torn we all were given access to the mercy seat. Hallelujah.
Jethro Bodine
Member
Important question.
doubt is nothing more than a sin of unbelief. if you are trusting God in all things then do not doubt His word as Gods word never comes back void of what it is sent out to accomplish in our lives.
Ce you are having a very hard time let going of the past and until you get over it and move on you will always have doubts as you are allowing Satan to come and play in your mind throwing your past in your face. In almost all of your post you dwell on things of your past. You are now a new creation in Christ and have been given a new beginning so just get on with your life in the Lord and kick your past in the butt.
Ce you are having a very hard time let going of the past and until you get over it and move on you will always have doubts as you are allowing Satan to come and play in your mind throwing your past in your face. In almost all of your post you dwell on things of your past. You are now a new creation in Christ and have been given a new beginning so just get on with your life in the Lord and kick your past in the butt.
ReginaForbes
Member
I know there are times where I ponder things and have doubts. When I do doubt, I turn to God- even when I question His very existence. Then I try to reason it out- So I have in my journal the question or doubt I have in my mind, then I write down refutations of that doubt. Some from personal experience and some from reading apologetics. When I do so though, I try to be as objective as possible and look at the facts. If I let my own personal bias get into it, I'll always come up lacking. That's how I get through it. Plus, God will send me little signs that I'm on the right track to help remove doubt.
Christ_empowered
Member
yeah...I'm getting better. And there *is* a huge difference between doubt and disappointments. Maybe I just expect too much?
Jesus clearly saves people. I know I can't just look at changed lives for proof. I mean, now and then other belief systems change people. But...the extent of inner transformation that Jesus gives people is amazing, and He does it for all kinds of people, all over the place. And then...
...then of course, once you're cleaned up, healed up, and transformed, many people despise you. LOL. Not that bad a deal, I guess, but...wow. Persecution--Jesus wasn't playing.
Maybe its also because other people lose their faith so easily. Then I'm left thinking...well...why? And all the darn psychobabble about *why* we believe, especially if you cling to old school Protestant Christianity. Something about Pentecostals, in particular, really offends mental health people...
..then again, that's a belief system, too, and not a very good one. (Clearly, I'm thinking out loud).
OK. To sum up...from my perspective, Christ is real because He saves people, in the here and now. Now and then, people are physically healed (maybe more often than "now and then..." who knows?). The spiritually dead come to life. And...the way Christians, and Jesus Himself seem to enrage people...clearly, there is something "special" about Christ and Christianity.
Jesus clearly saves people. I know I can't just look at changed lives for proof. I mean, now and then other belief systems change people. But...the extent of inner transformation that Jesus gives people is amazing, and He does it for all kinds of people, all over the place. And then...
...then of course, once you're cleaned up, healed up, and transformed, many people despise you. LOL. Not that bad a deal, I guess, but...wow. Persecution--Jesus wasn't playing.
Maybe its also because other people lose their faith so easily. Then I'm left thinking...well...why? And all the darn psychobabble about *why* we believe, especially if you cling to old school Protestant Christianity. Something about Pentecostals, in particular, really offends mental health people...
..then again, that's a belief system, too, and not a very good one. (Clearly, I'm thinking out loud).
OK. To sum up...from my perspective, Christ is real because He saves people, in the here and now. Now and then, people are physically healed (maybe more often than "now and then..." who knows?). The spiritually dead come to life. And...the way Christians, and Jesus Himself seem to enrage people...clearly, there is something "special" about Christ and Christianity.
ReginaForbes
Member
I know that feel, bro. I always felt like the outcast for some reason, like I didn't fit it. And it would bother me for the longest time that I couldn't just -be- like everyone else, or how the world wanted me to be. Then I grew an attitude. Like "Yep, I'm weird, DEAL WITH IT!" and I learn to laugh about it. It's very freeing once you embrace being "that weird Christian person". When you do that, you can just -BE- and let the chips fall where they may. In the Bible it says we are a "peculiar people". Yep, we're all a bunch a weirdos and I wouldn't have it any other way!
ReginaForbes
Member
This! YES!! DO IT!! That's what woke me up from the Catholic Church. I saw it was not right with God's word and I had to just be His, not the property of particular denomination.